Gone are the days where Christmas Eve was spent in the local nightclub until daft o’clock in the morning, and fast forward to the days where Christmas Eve means cosy nights in front of the tv. A box of chocolates, a Christmas film and a glass of mulled wine or two is enough to keep me satisfied. Over the years, I have set a little routine in my house and Christmas Eve has usually been spent preparing food, and making sure everything is ready for the big day. I also like to make sure that I am feeling my best and that means a good old pamper and a decent nights sleep ready for Christmas Day.

Starting the pamper session with the Vita Liberata Ten Minute Tan, I liberally apply this ten minutes before I jump in the shower. I was slightly dubious of this at first because you are washing it off so quickly but after around 4 hours after showering, I have a gorgeous golden tan. It’s the easiest tan I’ve ever used.

A pamper has to include a good old face mask and I love this Disney Minnie Face Mask from Mad Beauty. Combined with the cutest pamper headband with Minnie Mouse ears and bow, I feel like a Disney character. I must admit that the mask looks a little freaky with its Minnie face design, but it hasn’t stopped me from ordering more as the rosewater based mask makes my skin feel so lovely.

Before I take myself off to bed, I will relax to the soothing scent of Feather and Down. I have the diffuser and now the candle in my bedroom, as well as my pillow spray so there is no chance that I will be not sleeping, not even out of over excitement. I also like to apply the Cloud 9 Skin Solutions Deep Nourishing Mask all over my face to help hydrate my skin and so I wake up glowing.

A simple, yet effective evening in and one that I look forward to each year. What do you do as a tradition each year?

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Many, many, many years ago, when I was a mere child, it was my Mum who was the make up addict/artist. She had so much makeup to play with and I remember spending afternoons sat with her make up box, which was actually a man’s tool box, playing with all the amazing shades of lipsticks and eyeshadows. I have a really strong memory of Mum getting a Laura Geller Spackle as I thought the name was really funny. An American brand, Laura Geller has really stood the test of time not only to still be as strong now as it was then but has now broken into the UK consumer market and can be found on Cult Beauty and Debenhams, as opposed to just QVC back in the day. Two fab sets have come into my life lately, and I just had to show them off for you.

I first received the Laura Geller Pucker Up Lip Trio Set in Nude back in the summer, but due to life I couldn’t manage to get it up on the blog. It’s quite annoying really as I cannot find the set Nude anywhere, but I have found a pink set which is totally gorgeous, as well as a 6 piece set on QVC which has some stunning colours in it. The Pucker Up set was created to celebrate 20 years of Laura Geller, and the three buttery soft lip sticks are a definite handbag essential.

Super creamy, really light and with a high shine finish, the lip colours glide across the lip to give the illusion of a fuller pout. With the formulation, they aren’t the longest lasting lip product but they do last a good three hours or so. In the shades Lavender, Violet and Vanilla (L-R), they are so pretty. Lavender is a warm nude, Violet is a golden nude and Vanilla is a warm beige.

For a full face, the Laura Geller Hollywood Lights 6 piece set is a perfect starter kit for anyone who wants to try out the brand. It’s only £45, which for 6 pieces including a brush is really good value for money. Inside the kit, the bestselling Laura Geller Spackle; a hydrating under makeup primer, which I adore, as well as the Balance and Brighten Colour Correcting mineral foundation. A Laura Geller Mineral blush, a sparkling lip gloss, a dual ended brush and the most gorgeous compact featuring five shades of shadows to create pretty natural eyes or intensify them for a night out. A true desk to disco palette, which I will be keeping in my drawer at work for such occasions!

I really do think that it’s a true testament to the brand that they have had a product that has gone through the last 20 years and is still a best seller. The Laura Geller Spackle really is a beautiful product. I actually prefer to use Spackle all over my face as opposed to just placing it in certain areas, like I do with many other primers. It really is hydrating and my skin feels like it’s been given a boost ready for my foundation. I find it really weird to add powder foundation over the top of primer as in my head, it doesn’t work together, but in reality, the mineral foundation thrives off Spackle and gives a glowy, fresh finish that doesn’t look cakey and gives an even skin tone.

Of course, Laura Geller is famous for the Baked Gelato illuminators, but the brand is so much more than that. If you haven’t yet had chance to try the brand aside from the illuminators, then you must must try Spackle at least.

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2017 has been the year that I truly discovered Caudalie, and just how much it benefits my skin. From the body to the face, Caudalie has changed my routine for the better. I have found that using Overnight Detox Oil mixed in with moisturiser makes a superb night cream that gives me the extra hydration that I need. The Deep Cleansing Exfoliator is the only facial exfoliator that doesn’t make my skin go red and I have somehow gone through 3 full bottles of Beauty Elixir because the aromatic scent makes me feel like a calm, serene and zen soul. I had to include Caudalie in my Christmas content, and I’ve picked a really good set from the Christmas collection as well as a much loved product.

I couldn’t not include the Caudalie Divine Body Collection in the ‘best of’ round up. Not only does it contain one of the best scrubs in the beauty world, the Divine Body Scrub, but it also holds a 50ml Divine Oil. I don’t know how many times I have shared my love for the Divine Scrub across social media, but my god, I love it. I love the subtlety of the woody yet floral, sun kissed scent, whilst the brown sugar mixed with grape, argan, sesame and hibiscus oils remove dead skin cells with ease. For a scrub, its undoubtedly softening, and doesn’t feel harsh. It takes the scaly skin and banishes it for good, which when you’re a tan addict, it helps a lot with having a smooth canvas to work on.

The Divine Oil is a multi use product for body, hair, nails, in the bath or even as a massage oil. There are unlimited possibilities of use due it to being a dry oil. I actually really like to use it on the ends of my hair when it’s feeling a tad dry, as well as all over the body to lock in moisture. With the same scent as the Divine Scrub, it’s a perfect pairing for beautifully soft and smooth, moisturised skin.

The set is great value at £29, considering the scrub is £21.50 and the oil £18 if purchased separately. There’s also some offers on at Feel Unique and the set is down to £21 at the moment. I’d definitely have a look if it’s something that you’re interested in.

This year, Rosie Huntington Whitely has fronted the Caudalie campaign for the limited edition gold capped Beauty Elixir, which has only been available in a 100ml bottle. I have never owned a 100ml bottle of Beauty Elixir, so being able to get my hands on the limited edition has been somewhat of a treat. That being said, I have bottles of the 30ml Beauty Elixir scattered across my house and at work. It’s a true handbag essential, and I find that it comes in so handy for so many things. I use it after cleansing as a toner, or before bed to calm me down. I like to spray it in the air in my house and the scent is to die for. I use it to freshen up my skin if I’m feeling a bit down, or when I need a boost myself and feel more alert. I find that when its sprayed over freshly made up skin, it removes any powdery cakiness, just like a fixing spray and finally it gives my skin a radiance that cannot be created from makeup. No wonder it has been around for the last 20 years. The blend of grape, rose and rosemary have a calming and soothing effect, but yet it freshens and energises at the same time. It’s like a mid afternoon shot of caffeine to your system. Alert, vibrant, yet secure and ready to face the afternoon.

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Oh Stila, you have really made a splash with your newest releases this year. SO much so, that I will be putting up two separate posts featuring Stila, because I feel that the Magnificent Metals need their own post of love and adoration. For today’s post, I’ve picked my current faves that I have discovered this year, including one of the best highlighters that I own. Yep, another highlighter. You can’t have too many. Fact. To new discoveries, and long time loves, here is my ‘best of’ Stila.

Starting off with a brand new product that launched towards the end of Summer, the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Brow Colour has been giving me fuller looking brows in the shortest of brow strokes. It’s definitely waterproof, and walking to work in the Manchester rain has proved this to me time and again. Like a marker pen/felt tip, the thin nib glides on through the brows with ease. I must say however that if there is any foundation near the brows, it will not work and the nib gets bunged up with product. Breaking my rules and doing my foundation after my brows works wonders. As soon as the pen dries in the brow, it is totally smudgeproof, party proof, rain proof and daily trauma proof. As long as my brows are on fleek, I can face the day!

A product that is brand new to me is the Stila Convertible Colour, and it’s a product that Laura Lou Makeup is in disbelief that I have never tried them before as she has all of them. I have started off my Stila Convertible Colour collection with Lillium, a warm toned baby pink that gives off the softest glow on the cheeks, and the cutest tint of pink on the lips. I do prefer it as a cream blush as it’s a tad too light on me for a lipstick. As far as cream blushes go, and to be fair, I don’t use a lot of them, I find the Stila Convertible Colour to be so easy to work with. It blends out seamlessly, by using your fingers or a brush, and it doesn’t sink into pores. It also doesn’t leave a greasy film on the skin, yet dries to a velvety finish.

The first of three lipsticks from Stila is the Stay All Day Matte’ificent in Mon Ami. Mauve, slightly cooled toned, long lasting, matte and easy to apply. I’ve been wearing this for work a lot as it’s one of those colours that look like I’ve got lipstick on, but it’s not as noticeable as my super brights. This is what you get for working in an office where you don’t face people – the makeup doesn’t seem as important! Anyway, Mon Ami is gorgeous, and I love the formulation of these lipsticks. I have read some reviews online saying that thye don’t last and are drying, but that’s quite the opposite to what I have found. As with any matte lipstick, I keep my lips prepped before wear so I don’t feel any drying behaviours. With terms to longevity, I get around 4-5 hours of wear. In fact, I went to top it up and I was so shocked that it was all intact after several hours of wear.

With all these lipsticks, I need a good liner to go with them all, and the Stila Stay All Day Lip Liner in Rose is the prettiest pink to go with so many pink lipsticks. Non drying, long lasting and easy to apply whether you’re overdrawing or just filling in your lip shape. I love that in this range, all of the liners are named after wine. It’s the little things!

When I have a sweet tooth, I reach for the Stila Color Balm Lipstick as it tastes and smells like peppermint. In the colour Isabelle, it’s a very pale pink that has a lovely creamy formulation to hydrate and moisturise lips. Not as long lasting as other lipsticks, however it is more of a balm so it’s understandable. The glossy finish that it leaves makes lips look plump and the peppermint scent does do it for me.

For a more long lasting lipstick, you cannot go wrong with the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Notte. Everyone knows that my choice of lipstick is a liquid matte, and the Stila formulation is absolutely spot on. I sometimes find it quite difficult to be able to be so precise with a darker shade, however I find the Stila so easy to apply. I think that the doe foot is slightly smaller that other brands so it’s easier to control. It’s also easy to apply by taking the product onto a lipstick brush for more definition. Notte is a true winter shade with it’s deep berry tones and sultry finish, and I love it.

Last but most definitely not least, one of the most beautiful highlighters that I have ever seen in my entire life on this earth. The Heaven’s Hue Highlighter in the iconic shade Kitten has made it’s way into my possession and onto my face. The cult classic colour Kitten is one of the most wearable shades, for every skin tone and it can be worn on your eyes, cheeks and lips to give that subtle sparkle and gorgeous glow. The formula of the Heaven’s Hue highlighters have a creamy and bouncy gel like texture that applies to skin as a powder. It’s really easy to apply with a brush as well as with fingers and it’s a winner for not sitting in pores and enhancing them. There are two other shades in the collection; Bronze and Transendence and they are also absolutely stunning. Bronze would look gorgeous over tanned skin, whilst Transendence is that Unicorn/Mermaid shade that is so on trend at the moment.

Although I have been using Stila for many, many years, I think that in the last 12 to 18 months that they have really upped their game. The products are of unbelievable quality, the eye shadows to die for and a collection of glitters that I don’t know anyone who says that they don’t like them. I can’t wait to see what Stila have in store for 2018.

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It’s getting closer and closer to Christmas and I am still nowhere near completing my to-do list, however I have 4.5 days left in work and then I am off for a well deserved break for Christmas. I’m planning on having a relaxing time, filled with family and friends, a few mulled wines and maybe a German sausage or two. Sounds heavenly, don’t you think? I have my works Christmas party on Thursday and I have been trying to plan my makeup in advance as I will need to do it in work. My palette of choice has to be the Iconic London Day to Slay Palette, a limited edition box of the most beautiful curated shades in matte, shimmer and sparkle. Combined with the Iconic London Ultimate Brush Set and a touch of Illuminator, I will be fulfilling the Glitz and Glam brief for the party.

I have spoken about the Iconic London Day to Slay Palette in a previous post, and since then, I have used it pretty frequently. I am slighty obsessed with the colour Bellini and I have a funny feeling that I will be seeing the pan if I carry on at the rate that I am going. The intensity of the pigments within these shadows is unbelievable. The matte shades, although limited, pack such a punch in terms of coverage. My only negative is that the paler shades don’t really show up on my skin tone (Marshmallow and In The Nude), however that’s totally fine as I have the deeper taupe shades and of course, Bellini.

The shimmers and glitters are also extremely pigmented and have the ability to work with a wet brush to create a super metallic eye. With the glitter based shadows, a touch of glitter glue on the lid makes them unbelievably sparkly and long lasting. I’ve made so many different looks from the 20 shades, from day time natural to over the top glittery and sparkly going out eyes that I think it is one of the most versatile palettes that I own.

I think that the palette appeals to me so much because its warm, and gold and bronze with a touch of heat with the orange shades and barely any cool toned colours. I think when it comes to adding a new palette to a collection as vast as mine, it really is a testament to it the shade range when my palette now looks like it has been through the wars.

After falling in love with my Complete Cream and Gold Face Set, especially the huge fan brush, I couldn’t believe my eyes when the Ultimate Brush Set arrived, totally unexpected at my house. I didn’t think that I could possibly need any more makeup brushes, but I was wrong. I needed the Ultimate Collection. In the Iconic London Ultimate Collection set, 12 pearlescent gold stiletto handled brushes with the finest and softest bristles I have ever touched my face with.

Although I have some skills in makeup artistry, I must hold my hands up and say that some of these brushes had me flummoxed in terms of their use. As I don’t tend to contour with anything other that a Beauty Blender, having a specific Contour Buffer brush was a new one for me. I also found that I preferred to use the Concealer Buffer as an eye shading brush. The brushes included are

I have a particular way that I like to do my eye makeup, and I use three brushes usually; a large shader, a tapered blender and a flat shader to pack on the colour. I have found that the Large Shader and the Tapered Blending Brush from the Ultimate Collection have been making my life so much easier. It’s like the Large Shader does the work for you, with minimal effort and fuss.

The face brushes are so easy to work with. I’ve been using the Angled Powder brush daily for my blush, whilst the Tapered Powder is perfect to add a touch of bronze to warm up the skin. I haven’t used the Fan Brush as of yet because I am still crushing on my large Fan Brush from my Face Collection.

The Iconic London Ultimate Face Collection is absolutely perfect for those who are wanting a complete set to get started, or to add essential brushes to your collection. Not only do they perform to a high standard, they look pretty gorgeous with the stiletto ends. The Day to Slay Palette is limited edition, so if you do want it, you need to get it as soon as possible – you never know when it will go out of stock! You can get 10% off using the code ICONIC10 as well!

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We all know that it’s not Christmas until we see certain things. The Coca Cola Christmas advert, the light switch on in your home town and the Boots Soap & Glory Star Gift. Well, it’s officially Christmas as the Star Gift has hit the sales floor and this year, it’s even bigger and better than ever. Featuring a whopping £78 worth of products, it was on sale for £60 and is now just £30 until the end of day on Thursday. If you haven’t yet popped out to buy it, then what are you waiting for?

The Soap & Glory Spa of Wonder set has been pimped up this year, with it’s pretty awesome holographic fronted box. Unlike previous years where the outer packaging has been a sturdier vanity bag, or like last years mini suitcase, this years box is still a collectable but it’s not going to very good for transporting it around. However, it’s about the contents and that’s the main point of this set – to stock up for the following year with our favourite S&G goodies.

Inside the box, there are ten full sized products and although they aren’t too dissimilar from previous years, there are some new items as well as the iconic favourites that we expect from Soap & Glory. For the shower, my favourite Clean on Me Body Wash is present, as well as The Righteous Butter Creamy Body Wash and The Scrub of Your Life Exfoliator. For the body, the cult classic The Righteous Butter Body Butter and The Smoothie Star Body Milk. For the face, the Vitamin C Facial Wash with its pink beads suspended in a clean, green wash and one of the new face mask; the Party Recovery Radiance Boosting Mask. I’m really excited to see the Supercat Eye Liner because it is brilliant for creating sexy cat eye wings that are ultra black, before coating lashes with the Thick n Fast mascara. Another cult product in the box is a full sized tube of Sexy Mother Pucker in Plums Up. The Spa of Wonder has certainly got me stocked up for the foreseeable, which is handy as I was running out of shower gel!

In the Christmas collection this year, there are some really cute sets that not only will make some great stocking fillers, but the designs and packaging are so adorable that you’ll be unable to resist. One of the sets; the Special Edition Soaper Heroes has been updated to include new products and it’s just £10. Inside the tin, there are four travel sized minis, as well as two of the brand new shower gel pods that contain single use amounts of Rich and Foamous, and Sugar Crush Body Wash. A travel sized Clean On Me, The Righteous Butter, Scrub of Your Life and Hand Food are also included. With this weather, I have going through Hand Food like you wouldn’t believe and my office is mingled with the scents of Sugar Crush, The Original Pink and Smoothie Star.

My absolute favourite piece from the whole Christmas collection has to be the Pouty Popper, and I have been really restraining to not pop this all over my house. Perfect for the Christmas dinner table, the Pouty Popper holds two mini limited edition Sexy Mother Pucker glosses in brand new shades of Pink Stardust and Bare Enough. I can’t wait to pop this on Christmas Day so I can get to my two new glosses!

I have discover new lip products and they are definite game changers. Ticking all the boxes of the features that I look for in a lip product; liquid, matte, long lasting, fabulous shades, the Spectaculips Matte-alics are simply divine, and as an added bonus, they are extremely hard wearing a difficult to remove. In three shades; Pink Charming, Bronze Girl and Gold Dusk, they apply smoothly and it’s so easy to create a defined lip by using the tapered doe foot applicator. They dry down to a velvety finish and metallic shine that’s just enough sparkle without being too Tin Man. I am obsessed with Gold Dusk. It reminds me of Nars Orgasm but with super duper staying power. What I found with the Matte-allics is that they didn’t dry my lips out so that they felt tight and stiff. The shades are very wearable, and I think Bronze Girl needs to be tried on to be appreciated for the beauty that it is.

There are so many goodies in the Soap & Glory Christmas collection, and they are all available at Boots with them all being included in the 3 for 2 offer. Don’t forget, you can only get Spa of Wonder for £30 until Thursday so do not miss out!

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As we get closer and closer to Christmas, I am starting to get a bit on edge with how little I’ve done of the usual tasks that I usually undertake. I think that I may start doing my Christmas shopping for next year in January. I have no Christmas paper, no Christmas cards, I’ve not even made a cake. I suppose this year is going o be a lot different anyway, so I’m not going to worry about the finer details, and what will be, will be. To get me in the mood, I have been cheering myself up some festive makeup and beauty products, and when I spotted my SHOW Beauty Body Shimmer Oil on the bathroom shelf, I thought to myself that I couldn’t write up any Christmas content without including SHOW. It really is the most decadent and luxurious brand, and I will never feel guilty for using a £30 dry shampoo, ever.

I’ve been using SHOW Beauty for a few years now, but it is only in the last few months that I have started using the Lux Shampoo and Conditioner in my routine. The Lux range is to add volume to limp and fine hair like mine, and I find that when I do use it, I can stretch my style out for so much longer than usual. Washing with the Lux Volume Shampoo for the first time, I was expecting to be using a shampoo that left my hair feeling like it had been coated with product to give the bounce and volume it promised. I could not have been more wrong. It’s weightless, yet the lift comes from the root without my hair feeling greasy or like it hadn’t been rinsed properly.

The Lux Conditioner makes my hair look like glass. I’ve never known my hair to look as sleek and shiny as when I use it. I use a small amount and run it through my hair, avoiding the root, after using the Lux Shampoo. Leaving it on for a minute or two, I rinse and I feel like my hair has a new lease of life. The proof is in the pudding when I blow dry my hair. As I will never be able to blow dry my hair like a professional, the Lux greatly assists by making my hair look full of volume, bounce and with a sleek finish that can only be created at home by someone doing your hair for you.

The Premier Styling Range from SHOW Beauty is home to several items that I use all the time, including my very well loved Dry Shampoo and Finishing Spray. Not only do I have the full sizes in my bedroom, but the travel sizes in my handbag. Out of every item from the styling range, I need the Premier Dry Shampoo in my life. Don’t get me wrong, Batiste can do the job but for a dry shampoo that doesn’t leave hair looking white with a scalp that feels like it needs some serious detoxifying, SHOW Beauty Dry Shampoo is the one. It’s the same with the Premier Finishing Spray. Weightless, non sticky and brushes out easily, without snagging the hair, nor leaving it feeling crispy. Granted, I don’t tend to use a great deal of hairspray usually, so I can really tell the difference when it comes to fixing my style.

Getting ready for the party season, there is only one way to glow and I will be using the SHOW Beauty Body Shimmer Oil for every single event and opportunity where you might see some of my skin. Bare legs will look endless, my arms toned and my decolletage will look luminous and sparkly. Combined with a tan, you can imagine how incredible the oil will look. Even on my pathetically white hands and arms, the Body Shimmer Oil looks amazing. The oil isn’t heavy or sticky, whilst the gold shimmer particles are suspended throughout the oil. When the bottle is left to stand, the gold particles sit at the bottom, with the oil on top until a quick shake disperses the pigments to create an even and sparkly glow. The perfect Christmas beauty product and one that every sparkle loving beauty addict needs to own.

Have you tried SHOW Beauty before? Why not check out the SHOW Beauty Salon in selected Harvey Nichols stores.

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Can you believe that we are 3 Friday’s away from Christmas? It’s so scary how fast this year has gone but I actually cannot wait to see the back of it. It’s been a really bad year for me so 2018, I’m hoping, will be a lot better. With the amount of Christmas events going on, I’m going to find it really difficult to not want to spend loads of money on stuff for me! I have decided to go for a more traditional theme this year with my red, white and green decorations and I am pretty pleased with how my house is looking so far.

With Christmas come the events and although I don’t usually cover events as I go to so many (not bragging, just being honest) I thought I’d share two events that I have been to that definitely have stood out for me, in terms of the products available. The first, Selfridges and the second, Debenhams. Two of my favourite department stores, the Christmas selection does not disappoint.

Starting with Selfridges, and to really get me in the Christmas spirit, I was invited down to the press breakfast at the newly refurbished Manchester Hall and the Masons dining room. Decked out in traditional Christmas colours, Selfridges is celebrating England this year with its red, blue and green colour scheme. A delicious breakfast was laid on whilst we browsed the different areas of sales; Home, food, Beauty, kids and fashion. From Balmain to Valentino, I found some beautiful pieces that would only be a dream with my pay packet – but a girl can dream can’t she! It was the Beauty section that I really wanted to see, and I also got chance to catch up with Rose from Mixed Gems Beauty. It’s been about 3 years since I’ve seen her so it was so lovely to catch up.

This year, the Selfridges exclusives are incredible. From the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Masterclass to the Tom Ford Boys and Girls set, the NARS Man Ray Collection and the new Atelier perfume set, there’s a lot of product that have gone straight into my wish list. I also had chance to look at the most wanted Diptyque advent calendar and the little trinkets such as Prosecco Pong for Boxing Day festivities. The Selfridges website has all the Beauty exclusives online as well as all the little treats, trinkets and treasures to make Christmas special. I also got to meet Santa, and I actually think it was the real one!

Debenhams is one of my go to stores for the vast selection of brands that it has to offer. Not only is the Beauty hall extensive but the offer weekends make spending a lot lighter on the purse. Whilst at the Great John Street Townhouse, I spotted some gorgeous homeware including these beautiful Christmas cups, perfect for hot chocolate, as well as the cutest unicorn hand warmers, hot water bottle and eye mask. So me! I also found a Number 1 by Jenny Packham dress that I need to own.

Debenhams has been my first port of call for my Christmas decoration shopping and with the 4 for 3 offer, I got £70 worth of decorations for £56! Everything I spotted fit my theme and I have chosen some of the cutest decorations ever! In fact, I could have spent double the amount on the stunning glass ornaments and cute little hanging decorations.

With Christmas feeling like it is literally around the corner, I’m feeling a little excited to think that I’m just over 2 weeks time, my house will be like a winter wonderland with all the presents under the tree. Well, except the presents as I haven’t bought any just yet!

Thanks for having me Selfridges and Debenhams and for getting me into the spirit of Christmas!

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Christmas Eve has forever been my favourite day of the Christmas period, for as long as I can remember. From being a child where I remember sitting in front of the fire, colouring in my Christmas colouring book whilst watching films that I had circled in the TV Times. We would then head out as a family to our favourite restaurant before driving home, listening to Christmas songs and looking into the sky for the lights on Santa’s sleigh. New pyjamas would be waiting for my sister and I upon our return, and this tradition continued until we became too old to believe. Even when we got older, new pyjamas and Christmas movies featured heavily and to this day, I love nothing more than settling on the couch with a box of chocolates whilst Elf and Home Alone play. The traditions of Christmas Eve may vary per family, but I have the fondest memories and new traditions that have started make me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

The Christmas Eve box seems to have made quite a stir over social media as of late, and I really wanted to start my own. A selection of products that I can look forward to on the run up to the big day. I’ve chosen the most beautiful personalised box to hold my special items in ready for Christmas. The personalised wooden box is from the geniuses at I Just Love It, my first port of call for a special personalised gift. Having a name like mine, I am really appreciative of the ease of getting a gift or product printed with my, or the recipients name.

Inside my box, I have a brand new pair of Christmas pyjamas as it wouldn’t be Christmas without them. As soon as I locked eyes on the Dickens and Jones Xmas Drummer Boys pyjama set at House of Fraser, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. At £45, I couldn’t quite stretch to them with all the presents that I had to buy but after browsing Love The Sales, they appeared in the House of Fraser sale. I’m so happy. Red, with miniature pillar boxes and drummer boys snow scene printed over them, they are so adorable plus the cotton fabric feels warm and soft against my skin. I also couldn’t resist these cheeky Primark reindeer slipper socks to wear with them. I actually think Primark slippers are the best, I am always getting new pairs.

My Christmas movies selection doesn’t have any film in it that you wouldn’t expect to see. Home Alone 1 and 2 are guaranteed, with Home Alone 2 being my favourite, even more so now I’ve experienced the Rockefeller Centre at Christmastime. Elf, A Christmas Carol and The Snowman are also present; Elf as I love it so much, A Christmas Carol because of the tradition and The Snowman because my sister cried when he melted.

It’s only this time of year that I allow myself to be as indulgent as I have been doing and watching films means eating christmas chocolates. The finest chocolate that a girl can have has to be Lindt, and my love for Lindor has never faded. A sharing box of Lindor in Original, Dark, Praline and White will keep me busy, until I bite the head off my giant Lindt bear. He’s so adorable in his little red jumper and iconic Lindt necklace, and 200g of Lindt chocolate is just way too appealing right now.

If I was really going to push the boat out, I’d be cracking open a bottle of Ruby Port to sip whilst getting cosy. After all, it’s only Christmas once a year.

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The success of YouTubers at the moment is unbelievable. From books to beauty, the girls next door who we have grown up with are literally ruling the world. Being older than their target audience, I’ve shied away from trying products from the likes of Zoella and Tanya Burr, with the image in my mind that I’m a bit too old to appreciate the twee packaging and cutesy sets. I don’t usually have advent calendars, as the majority of the time I am rarely in the UK during the month of December but this year, I decided that a beauty advent calendar was going to get me through the month. Rather than having a 24 day calendar, the Tanya Burr Cosmetics Advent Calendar has 12 days of beauty gifts, and from today – the 14th, my calendar will be giving me a daily treat right up until Christmas Day.

You may have already seen the spoilers of the calendar on social media, however each day I will be posting my beauty goodies on my Instagram page. If you don’t already follow me, head over and click follow now. Starting today with Day One, I’m looking forward to not only seeing festive themed shades and shade names, but I am actually really looking forward to seeing the quality and formulations of Burrs products. With me being a new user of Tanya Burr Cosmetics, and having heard mixed reviews, I’m really open to to giving my full and frank thoughts of the Christmas cosmetic range.

The Tanya Burr Cosmetics Advent Calendar has been designed for the girly-girl and in hues of pastel pink and mint green with golden accents, the Tanya house is actually really quite pretty. The top of the box is covered in white glitter to mimic snow, whilst you see Tanya and Jim’s silhouette in one of the windows. 12 perforated window openings hide 12 beauty products behind ready for the festive season. Each shade of each item is specially designed for the festive season so these won’t be available to buy all year round, but the full Christmas collection from Tanya Burr Cosmetics does feature these shades if you wanted to buy them as stocking fillers.

Opening Day One led me straight to a new lip gloss in Candy Cane; a subtle deep raspberry pink with micro glitter particles. The packaging is very festive – a clear tube with gold lid, and shows off the colour within, whilst the subtle branding is emblazoned down the side. Although the packaging does feel a little cheap, the formula of the lip gloss has won me over in a way that I would have never imagined. On the first swatch onto my hand, I was really quite shocked at the pigmentation and opacity of the gloss, but after I put it onto my lips, I was left wondering why I had never given them a chance before. Just look how opaque and glossy it is. To say I was impressed was possibly an understatement and it has made me consider getting a few more items of Tanya Burr Cosmetics to see how well the perform compared to some of my other favourite brands.

I’m sorry to have to tell you that the chances of getting hold of the Tanya Burr Cosmetics Advent Calendar are slim to none right now but keep checking my Instagram for the daily reveal and in the New Year, lets treat ourselves to some of the collection.

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Well, would you look at that. It’s December, and it’s time for Blogmas 2016. Blogmas means blogging every day in December, and although generally as a rule, I usually blog daily, December is different. Believe me when I say weeks and weeks of planning has gone into Decembers content and although it feels like I was telling myself it was too soon at one point, it’s soon crept up. Over the next four weeks, I am going to try and steer away from past Blogmas posts such as gift guide round ups, and focus more on my home, lifestyle, travel and of course, fashion and beauty. I want this years content to be more of a reflection of me. What i’m doing for Christmas, places I go and what I am wearing, all with a Christmas theme throughout. It feels fitting that today, the 1st of December, showcases getting in the Christmas spirit and how I have decorated my home so far.

I love how I can blame the blog as the reason for why I do things. The 25th November was particularly early for me to put the tree up, but I’m so glad I did as I’ve been able to get on with so much stuff for December without having to worry about background decor and time spent to put an 8ft tree up. I do love how my house looks with the addition of the festive decorations, and combined with it going dark at 4pm, it feels delightfully cosy in my house right now. The room smells beautiful from the festive scented candles and rooms sprays and I’ve taken complete pleasure in cosying up on the couch, in my loungewear to watch episode after episode of Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I’m almost caught up, just season 7 to go.

My room has been scented with the Crabtree & Evelyn Noel scent. After using Windsor Forest last year, which was simply divine, I decided to go for a more traditional approach this year. Noel is described as mulled spice scents mingled with green notes of Fraser fir spruce and the zest of festive citrus fruits. It’s beautiful, warming and homely in one scent and it doesn’t have that intensity of cinnamon like some other Christmas scents have. It’s far more delicate, yet sharp on the citrus notes with enhance the green notes. I have the Botanical Candle which is decorated with cinnamon sticks and apple slices around the exterior of the hand poured candle. Suitable for smaller rooms as it gives off a lighter scent, I prefer this style of candle for my coffee table as it’s so close to where I sit. I can smell the scent, without being overwhelmed. The Noel Room Spray has freshened up my Christmas tree with it’s fresh, festive scent and a few sprays into the corners of the room each day is enough to keep the scent fresh all day.

Deepening the scents throughout my home, I’ve placed The English Soap Company candle in Merry Christmas in my hall. The warming scent of winter flowers and festive greens compliments the Crabtree & Evelyn scent without it being overkill. It’s so nice when people walk in my house and compliment me on how it smells, it makes me so happy. The English Soap Company candle is made with pure soy wax which makes for an cleaner burn and a soot-free environment. Soy wax also lasts a lot longer than traditional paraffin wax and retains the fragrance a lot better.

I’m so happy with how my home looks this year and although I say each year that I don’t need anything else to decorate my home with, I’m almost certain that there are going to be a few new additions. I’m thinking icicle lights outside and maybe a light up reindeer. I do love reindeer if you couldn’t tell.

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After waiting for Black Friday to hit and knowing that some of my close friends are working their little socks off with their business, I have put together some of the best deals over the weekend. Some of the deals I can’t disclose until the day they are live so I will be updating this as the weekend goes. I’m skint until pay day, so feel free to treat me to something pretty!

Shop at Beauty Bay have 30% off top name brands including Lime Crime, Gerard Cosmetics and OCC

Benefit have a weekend full of discount. Get 20% off on Friday and Saturday using code BLACK20. This excludes Christmas gift sets, Benefit kit builder and the Porefessional primer bundle. The code for Cyber Monday is CYBER20

Urban Decay are giving 20% off the cult Perversion mascara both online and in store at stand alone Urban Decay stores using code BLACKER

Debenhams have special deals all over the weekend, with up to 50% off items and big savings on top name brands, including a VAT off fragrance deal.

Selfridges is celebrating christmas coming early with up to 20% off fashion and 10% off beauty and fragrance using code SELFCCE

LiLash have 25% off site wide, with a free Swarovski crystal holder with a 6 month supply of LiLash.

Boux Avenue are offering 20% off everything and 40% on selected items with free International delivery with a £40 spend.

If all the Black Friday Madness is getting too much, I have discovered a fab little website where everything is always on sale. Woznow offers a range of store all under one website, where you can select by store, category or search function for the items that you desire at the best prices around. So far, I’ve picked up deals from Marks and Spencer and I have my eye on some new sheepskin rugs for my house. It’s like temptation has been doubled. Favourite department stores, online shopping and a sale at Woznow? Who could resist?

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Ho! Ho! Ho! I’m feeling very Christmassy today so I thought it would be a perfect day to bring to you a selection of ideas for stocking fillers for the ladies in your life. I’ve already given you some ridiculously expensive suggestions with my Decadence post, a range of ideas in a more realistic budget for men and ladies, so today we will look at items £15 and under. The Anoushka Loves Christmas Gift Guide – Stocking Fillers contains everything that I would love to see in my stocking come Christmas Day. Hurray!

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It’s that time of year again! No, I’m not talking about Christmas. I’m talking about that day that makes people realise that it is nearly Christmas. Of course, it’s the annual ‘fingers poised online/waiting with baited breath in the queue at Boots’ Soap and Glory The Next Big Thing Day! The only annual sporting event that I like to partake in where I will fight the masses to get to the checkout with the best value Christmas box there ever was.

If you weren’t aware of this momentous day, then let me quickly fill you in. For one week only, which in reality is around 6 hours, the Soap and Glory The Next Big Thing is available in-store and on line at Boots. This amazing set is worth £76 and retails at the eye wateringly low price of £29. As a special treat this year, there are two limited edition boxes available dependant on whether you purchase in store at Boots, or online at Boots.com. The contents are the same and here’s what you will be getting

Just look at all the amazing goodies! I would literally live in Soap and Glory world forever more if I had my own way. The boxes this year have been designed by super cool London based doodle genius, Hattie Stewart. A woman who has doodled with Luella, House of Holland, Marc Jacobs and now Soap and Glory. The first box is available instore only and the second is exclusively online. I love both designs but I think I will have to rugby scrum it out in store on Friday morning.

So, for one week only starting from this Friday, the 12th December the amazingly good value Soap and Glory The Next Big Thing will be hitting Boots. It’s a perfect excuse to lock yourself in the bathroom and have a proper good pamper. Will you be getting a box? Which is your favourite Hattie Stewart designed box?

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It’s Friday and you know what that means… Another Christmas Gift Guide, hurrah! This week is all about the girls and those most lusted after items that don’t fall into the decadence pile. All the products that I have chosen for the Christmas Gift Guide for Her all fall in the £15 to £150 category, so there is something for everyone. As usual, I have chosen those items that I would love to find under my tree come Christmas day. If you are anything like myself, I’m sure you will be lusting over some of these goodies too. Don’t forget to check out my Christmas Gift Guide for Him if you haven’t yet bought all your presents for that special man in your life.